Meeting The Fourth Hokage
by BelleMorte1989
Summary: The Fourth Hokage is mysteriously back from the dead.He seeks to discover how and why.
1. Chapter 1

( ^.^ ) /

I would just like to point out the fact that I am writing this off of the top of my head without plotting as I haven't the slightest clue where to begin with something like that. This is my first Fic so please be nice, constructive criticism is welcomed, feel free to express where you think this story will go.

I would also like to point out that there will be spectacular lemons when I get around to writing them so all under aged readers please be advised to avert your eyes.

On the topic of updates I tend to stare at the page until inspiration strikes, a lot of my time is spent reading as it is and always has been my obsession therefore don't expect daily updates or anything unreasonable like that.

I don't have a beta and I don't intend to get one,please point out grammatical errors or errors in punctuation. Inbox me the chapter and sentence with the error or questions about anything else.

This Fic is RATED M.

DISCLAIMER:I do not own NARUTO it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto sensei. I do not profit from this. If I did it wouldn't be acceptable for underage readers.

(^.^)'

Azure blue eyes looked at me with the heat so intense I shivered. Getting caught in the gaze of Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage was not necessarily a good place to be. It left you with the impression that he could see right through you. You found yourself biting your tongue to keep from confessing crimes you didn't commit just to be free of the intensity of his piercing gaze. He was probably an excellent interrogator considering my sudden urge to abandon all pretenses.

As I struggled to stop myself from fidgeting guiltily, multiple thoughts raced through my mind at top speed, one in particular stood out due to it's particular outrageousness, it had no business being their given the situation I was in. This blonde-haired, blue-eyed, god-like person was by far one of the most breathtakingly attractive man I had ever had the misfortune to meet. Kamisama how did the females of this species function with such an attractive male walking among them?

Could they walk past him indifferently, without errant thoughts of him mating with them? Without picturing him pinning them to their beds and running his hands over every inch of their body to wake the fire of procreation low in their stomachs? The touch of his lips setting their skin on fire with want. His firm grasp and the low urgent sound of his voice as he requests entry to their body to sate the inferno raging within them and himself.

I blanched and shivered in my seat at the kitchen table, discreetly trying to stem my arousal as I blatantly avoided his gaze in hopes that through some quirk of fate he didn't notice my reaction to his undivided attention. I rubbed my legs together as the uncomfortable wetness made itself known between my legs. My hands were clenched into fists as I fought the instinct to make my willingness to mate known to him.

I was aware of how highly inappropriate my reaction to him was...years of fighting my inherent reaction to acceptable males made fighting my instinct manageable if not particularly easy. I breathe slowly through my nose willing the frantic beating of my heart to calm, a tiny bit relieved when it obeyed. I braced myself and lifted my gaze, ever so slowly to meet his.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked my voice betraying no emotion.

He looked at me for a second before answering his gaze steady, "My son missed his ka-chan," he said warmly, eyes narrowed and a hint of a threat seeping into his somewhat friendly reply.

I looked away to hide the turmoil in my eyes at his words, such a well placed knife his warm voice had delivered, a loud reminder of how dangerous this man actually was. The tone of his voice warmed me from the inside out but I pushed it away.

"I am here,...now what?" I retorted in a flat voice attempting to convey disinterest and faint stirrings of guilt unrelated to his looks.

"Now,... you tell me how my son came to refer to you as ka-chan."

"I did not ask him to, if that's what you're implying," I snapped testily.

"I am not implying anything, I asked you for an explanation plain and simple.I don't believe it's too much to ask given the situation we are both in."

I sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of my nose in an effort to relieve the buildup of pressure I was feeling, "The explanation that you desire is actually quite simple" I said looking at him tiredly, "I have been caring for your son since Hiruzen placed him in an apartment by himself,or rather three months after he was placed here."

"The Sandaime authorized you to care for Naruto?"he arched a brow in disbelief.

"Yes, he did, why is that so hard to believe? "I glowered, peeved at his reaction.

"Why was he not taken in by a friend, rather than a complete stranger to the village?"

"I was told his godfather was away on a long term mission and the caretakers at the orphanage neglected him. I was not told why they did this but Hiruzen said it was unwarranted. He eventually placed him by himself in an apartment...three months after I stumbled across him in an alley, I had recently moved here and I was looking for a place to rent and got lost. I found him unconscious, beaten severely and covered in bruises." I growled the last sentence furiously, remembering the way the tiny child looking so broken in the filthy alleyway."I am positive others saw him, he wasn't that far into the alleyway, but they ignored his presence as if he wasn't there, "I glared at the tabletop blinking back my tears."

He waited silently for me to continue my recollection, his impassive gaze never leaving my face...I sighed.

"I picked him up as gently as I could and walked out onto the main street, the crowd parted the moment they realized who I was holding, it was clear they recognized him, no one offered assistance, they repeatedly turned away when I asked for help and directions to the hospital. As I was passing the ramen stand, the owner came out, when he saw Naruto's battered looking body he quickly directed me to the hospital.

I took him over as quickly as I could, I got more of the same attitude from the hospital staff, as I was yelling at the receptionist behind the counter, a silver haired ninja with a mask and hitai-ate over one eye was passing by, he glared at the receptionist and voiced some thinly veiled threats about involving the Hokage. They finally let me take him to a medic and I insisted on staying while they tended his wounds, after they finished bandaging him up I took him and left, headed straight for Hokage Tower. I barged straight past his secretary, into his office."

I paused for breath and looked down at the bandaged child still unconscious in my arms, composing myself.

"Good evening Hokage-sama, my name is Kanzaki Ren, it is unfortunate that our first meeting be under these circumstances, "I said in clipped tones, nodding my head respectfully, it was the best I could do without jostling the injured child.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up startled, not in surprise at the presence of the young woman, but rather the tone of voice in which the greeting that passed her lips was delivered, with poorly disguised rage. His eyes narrowed into an unreadable look as it rested on the somewhat mummified bundle (cradled gently) in her arms, the mop of vibrant blonde hair so like his father's the only thing which identified him as such at the moment. He felt sorrow and regret unfurling in his chest as he looked on with unreadable eyes at the woman who held, nestled protectively to her breast the legacy of the Fourth Hokage.

He leaned forward in his chair with elbows on the desk and fingers interlaced and said pleasantly, "Good evening Kanzaki-san, what brings you to my office ?"

I glared at him disgustedly, "Do you not see the injured child in my arms?"

"He is the reason I am here, I found him in an alley-way beaten unconscious and being ignored by the general populace, who I can bloody well assure you knew he was there," I spat out furiously.

"I had to cause a scene at the hospital to get him treated, had it not been for a shinobi happening by I would probably still be there trying to get him treated." "Do you know where his parents are?... I'd like to have a word with them,"I hissed through gritted teeth.

Sarutobi sighed wearily, "Unfortunately Kanzaki-san that will not be possible, Uzumaki Naruto was orphaned at birth, he lives on his own in a small apartment."

My mouth fell open as I stared at the Hokage incredulously, "You can't be serious, he's a toddler he can't live by himself !"

"Unfortunately, Kanzaki-san, that is exactly the case, for reasons that cannot be divulged he is shunned by the villagers, what you happened upon today was one of the more brutal instances he has had to live with all his life, " he said a flicker of sadness in his eyes as he looked at us.

I scowled unseeingly at the floor processing what I'd just been told, and came to a decision, I looked up determinedly at the Hokage, "I will do it. I don't particularly care why he is being shunned, all children are born innocent and deserve a normal happy childhood free from fear and abuse," I said heatedly.

Sarutobi gave her an assessing look, by all accounts she appeared to be a civilian, "Are you sure you are willing to take this burden upon yourself... "

I cut him off before he could finish, "Children are not a burden Sandaime-sama, and yes I am sure, you can trust me to take care of him, of Naruto." I said smiling gently at the bandaged wrapped bundle of blonde in my arms.

I looked up at the Hokage and said seriously "I realize I'm new to Konoha and you may not fully trust me with the care of one of your children, but I think it's a good thing too... I don't suffer from the same prejudices as the villagers so he will not grow up in a home with poorly disguised enmity or animosity. I will also need a guide to his apartment,...maybe one of those sneaky shinobi in the ceiling can do it ? "

The quartet of said sneaky shinobi in the ceiling all tensed in surprise at the offhanded statement that was just delivered so casually by the 'civilian'.

I looked on expectantly at the Hokage and I could see he was taken aback and also faintly amused by my offer.

He sighed and nodded wearily, closing his eyes,"Very well, this will resolve several issues at once if it works out, and Naruto needs someone caring to watch over him. Crow, remove your mask and escort Kanzaki-san to the apartment, you will be on full time watch until she is deemed a non-threat to Naruto, also be on watch for the villagers, they will not take kindly to her because of her association with Naruto, protect them well."

A preteen boy with a low ponytail popped into existence, he was wearing some sort of white armored vest and gloves that reached his armpit. He knelt on one knee before the Hokage and nodded once to confirm the order was understood.

He then turned fluidly on his heel and walked towards the exit, I followed him silently after one last nod to the Hokage.

We strolled somewhat undisturbed down the main street, if you don't count the apprehensive looks and faint mutterings of the villagers. I suspected the leisure pace was for my benefit rather than his preference and I carefully committed to memory the route from Hokage Tower to Naruto's apartment.

For the entire duration of our walk to Naruto's apartment not a word was exchanged between us, I silently wondered if this was because he was on duty or if he was normally this no one was this silent by choice, it was eerie and I speculated whether or not all shinobi were like him.

We arrived at the apartment and 'Crow' simply turned the door handle and let us in,I narrowed my eyes at that, why was it left unlocked? Did he forget to lock it this morning or perhaps the lock was broken? That was something I would have to address as soon as possible, shinobi guard dog or not.

I stepped out of my sandals in the doorway and nudged them to a side, then stepping up into the apartment I looked up and froze, my jaw promptly hit the floor as I gazed at the room before me horror struck.

"What the...hell!" I managed to choke out in revulsion.

He looked at me his face expressionless and simply turned away and walked into the next room of the apartment.

I sighed and followed taking one last look at the kitchen and praying fervently that the bathroom wasn't as horrifyingly filthy.


	2. Chapter 2

'(^.^)/

Minato looked at the woman sitting across from him, her bright strawberry blonde hair fluttered gently round her shoulders. It was at least waist length, she seemed nervous her pale lavender eyes refused to meet his blue ones, was he making her nervous? Her fair skin was flushed and it seemed to darken even more under his scrutiny, he sighed inwardly this was going to take gentle persuasion and patience, she seemed overly wary of him.

He carefully went over her account of the first meeting with his son and his heart clenched painfully. To think the village that he was born in, fought for and died for could mistreat his son this badly, it left him feeling bereft. What was the point of him dying for them if this is how they repaid his child's unknowing sacrifice ?

His son...he felt his own heart breaking, to think he died and left him behind to face this on his own, it was nothing short of miraculous he was still breathing. It was all thanks to Ren that he was still alive and most importantly happy... he couldn't let her just walk away so easily, not when Naruto was just starting to have a semblance of a normal life, he would be heartbroken if she left. His mind made up Minato decided to do his best to convince her to stay.

"Kanzaki-san," I began,"May I ask why you were leaving Konoha?" Silence followed his question but he waited patiently for her to formulate a response.

"Yondaime-sama, I'm no longer needed here to ensure Naruto's safety so I decided it was time to leave, I explained all this to Naruto, he has you now to look after him, " she replied quietly with a pained expression.

It made me wonder...

"Do you want to leave or is there another reason?" I arched a brow.

"I...I can't stay with him, you are here it's not necessary, " she replied hesitantly carefully looking at the wall behind me.

I looked around confused, "This compound is big enough to house a large family, not to sound like I'm inviting myself to stay here but space isn't the problem so what is? "

She looked down at her lap,"I can't live in close proximity to men without severe discomfort," she said softly still not looking at me.

"That's why I was leaving, if I stay Naruto would ask that we live together so I decided that a clean break would be best, " she said finally looking up to meet my gaze. Her eyes were beautiful, the forlorn look in them made my heart throb painfully.

"Kanzaki-san, surely there must be a way to ease this discomfort, " he said earnestly.

Her lavender eyes widened, her mouth fell open and her cheeks positively glowed red from the blood rushing to her face.

"Y-you do not know what you ask,"she answered.

"I-it can be done b-but only if you're willing, " she whispered.

I leaned back in my chair, "What do I have to do?" I was sure whatever it was could be achieved easily enough, I was mulling over the possibilities.

"You have to sleep with me..."she said

I felt my jaw drop in shock, well I walked right into that one, but I couldn't help but give in to my instinctive reaction to the words that just left her lips. This must be some kind of a joke, she couldn't actually be requesting me to sleep with her. I abruptly closed my mouth and cleared my throat, "Kanzaki-san I'm sorry, I must have misheard what you said. "

"What did you hear me say ?" she asked me quirking a brow, perplexed.

"I could have sworn I just heard you say that I had to sleep with you...hahaha..."I trailed off nervously rubbing the back of my head.

She tilted her head bemused, "That's because you did just hear me say that."

I felt my face heat up in mortification, complete with incoherent noises to accompany it, how is she just stating all this calmly without a sign of the previous blush on her cheeks?

Was she completely without shame? To be propositioning a man without the slightest hint of embarrassment coloring her face, even the most hardened ninja would have trouble keeping from fidgeting.

"Yondaime-sama, I mean no disrespect by my request, simply put it is the only way for us to share the same living space. I know you don't understand why, it's not something I can explain at this point but rest assured it is necessary ."

I suppressed my urge to squirm uncomfortably at the turn this conversation was taking. I can't believe he asked what he could do so guilelessly without even laying out any limits or conditions. In the back of my mind I knew that of course he had no idea whatsoever of what the answer would entail, which now leaves me feeling like a raging pervert from one of Jiraiya-sama's books.

I sighed inwardly, how did it come to this, oh I know, I fell completely for those beguiling blue eyes, chubby cheeks and that adorable smile. Naruto, my cute little mischievous Naruto who was as loud as an irate fishwife one moment and sincerely lovable and caring the next. Curse those expressive eyes, fluffy soft hair, and puppy-like demeanor. I was still appalled at the condition in which I found him almost a year ago. How could they..., in the back of my mind I was still enraged but I pushed it away.

A year ago setting foot in this village, I would never have thought that I would be the adopted mother to a mischievous blonde bundle of joy. Needless to say I fell in love with him. Which leads to me currently dealing with the consequences of my actions sitting across from me at my kitchen table, at my recently purchased residence. After that is, failing spectacularly at running away from it first of course, even though my flight from this particular consequence was half hearted at best due to my ridiculously strong attachment to said consequence's progeny.

I sighed inwardly how am I going to deal with this...

I feel like pulling my hair out just thinking of having to deal with him. I could see it now, he was going to watch me like a hawk summons questioning everything I do, it was wearying just thinking about it, but I couldn't quite work myself all the way to full fledged disgust at my current conundrum.

I tried to look at it from a different perspective. Most women would be thrilled at the idea of cohabiting with a lithe, six foot, blue-eyed, blonde with looks that bordered on androgynous so he was pretty enough to be appealing to both sexes. I schooled my expressions as I grumbled inwardly to myself, this was sure to cause problems in the long run, Minato was too popular as a man besides being a former/current Hokage.

This so wasn't worth the bat-shit crazy women I'd have to deal with when the general populace of Konoha civilian and shinobi alike realizes their beloved Yondaime-sama wasn't as dead as they currently believed, let alone that he was currently shacking up with the resident eccentric/lunatic that was housing the supposedly evil jinchuuriki brat that will allegedly contaminate them and corrupt their precious little munchkins.

Which currently leads up to my current word vomit...

"Yondaime-sama, I mean no disrespect by my request, simply put it is the only way for us to share the same living space. I know you don't understand why, it's not something I can explain at this point but rest assured it is necessary ."

At my words the great Yellow Flash of Konoha, the Yondaime Hokage blushed, and I don't mean a faint pink colour on the cheeks, no our beloved Yondaime did nothing by halves, his skin turned lobster red as he gaped at me, my expression schooled to indifference.

I watched in horrified fascination as the colour rose from his neck to engulf his entire face. His reaction to my words was completely unexpected of course, it's not as if he was a genin fresh from the academy or anything, he's a battle hardened veteran for Kami's sake, his abilities were the lynch pin that helped turn the tide of the previous war, so where did he get off blushing like an inexperienced chunin and looking as endearing as his cute offspring?

I smirked at him even though I wanted to scowl because the cuteness of his current expression reminded me of Naruto and the fact that I was doing this, going through all this for my little cutie.

"Or you could just leave and take up residence elsewhere," I said.

"Why do I have to sleep with you?"he asked.

"Because we must do what is necessary, and this is necessary," I said.

"Why is this necessary?" he asked.

"It's not something I can explain," I said.

He sighed. "You're not going to make this easy are you?"

I smiled sweetly at him."I have no idea what you mean."

He looked at me, his blush receding as thoughts and speculation flickered in his eyes so quickly I barely got an impression before it moved on to something else. I waited patiently for him to make up his mind, I wasn't about to force a man, one who could quite possibly kill me if he tried hard enough, into doing something he didn't want to, I'm not that naive.

"I could just take Naruto and leave,"he threatened.

"You could, I'm sure he would get over being separated from the closest thing he's had to a mother,"I said.

"He'll get over it eventually,"he said.

"Ah...yes I'm sure he would take being removed from my care by a complete stranger quite well, " I said smiling sweetly.

He flinched, I won this round he just didn't know it yet.

"I'm not a stranger, I'm his father," he said defensively.

"A father he knows nothing about who has been absent his entire life. Do you know that he still flinches if anyone raises their hand too quickly near him? " I asked sadly.

"No," he bit out.

"Are you trying to deepen his psychological scars, or do you just want him to hate you?"I asked.

"Like it or not I represent safety, security and most importantly unconditional love to him Yondaime-sama, and you're going to have to learn to live with my continued presence in his life," I said.

"You took away your choice when you decided to bring me back here Yondaime-sama," I said softly.

"And now we both have to live with the consequences of my actions," he said sounding almost sad, I don't think he was only just talking about our current predicament, but what do I know?

"We don't have to like the situation, we have to tolerate it and hopefully somewhere down the line our tolerance of each other will turn into friendship, " I said optimistically.

"Hai, I will try my best to make this transition as painless as possible," he said resignedly, rubbing his face with both palms.

"That's all I ask of you Yondaime-sama," I said happy that we finally came to an understanding of sorts.

His hands dropped to the table and he said, "Since we're going to be living together I don't think we need to be formal, please call me Minato."

I smiled at him,"Hai, Minato-san since we are forgoing formality you may call me Ren."

"So...about our sleeping arrangements, I feel the need to inform you that I don't wear pajamas to bed," I said leaning back in my chair.

"Then what do you wear?" he asked cautiously.

"Absolutely nothing," I said smiling sweetly.

He gaped, then sputtered something incoherent, his face and neck coloured lobster red, once again our beloved Yondaime-sama proved he did nothing by halves.


	3. Chapter 3

'('_')/

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office crouched over his desk going over one of the never-ending mission reports. He was artfully framed by four stacks of the infernal documents that was brought in recently by the paper ninja working in the Hokage Tower. His back was aching as if the Shinigami itself had taken to slipping its ever-present knife into his spinal column.

He cursed silently to himself as his back pain steadily worsened, no doubt sitting behind this accursed desk crouched over paperwork all day did nothing to help his situation. He bemoaned the fact that Tsunade was still refusing to come back to the village and take the reins of the hospital management. The current medic-nins could do nothing for him besides ease his back pain for short periods of time.

He suddenly leaned back from his desk pushing the papers in front of him away.

I can't take this anymore, I'm going to visit Ren. I can't believe I waited this long to go visit her he grumbled internally silently to himself. And with that the God of Shinobi got up and quietly exited his office.

The pitter-patter of tiny feet could be heard coming down the hall, the sound of those tiny footsteps seemed to chase away the cavernous silence that seemed to settle upon the house in the early hours of the morning.

The door to my bedroom….or was it our bedroom?…was wrenched open unceremoniously and aforementioned footsteps halted for a split second before hurrying towards me where I lay in the bed. My blanket was pulled up to my face covering my nose and mouth to ward off the chill. The owner of said footsteps lifted the topmost layer of my blanket and wiggled his tiny body in between the blanket and sheet to snuggle up as close to me as possible. I felt him press his face into my neck and inhale my scent.

For some unknown reason Naruto had begun this morning ritual a week after I had begun caring for him, I suspected it was to remind himself that I was still here. I knew I wasn't going anywhere, but his childlike mind needed this daily reassurance so instead of calling him out on it like I may have done an adult I feigned sleep and waited until he patted my cheek to wake me. Which would then lead to me pretending to stubbornly refuse to leave the comforting warmth of my bed.

"Ka-chan, wake up," he whined.

I cracked one eye open, "I dun wanna."

"But I'm already awake, " he said exasperated.

"Who gave you permission to wake up, " I grumbled mutinously.

"But I'm hungryyyyy..." he whined.

"Then you'll just have to cook me and eat me, won't you? "

"Ewwwwww don't be gross you'll probably taste yucky," he said scrunching up his face in disgust.

"How dare you, I'll have you know that I taste delicious, " I said in mock outrage.

He leaned in, then opening his mouth ridiculously wide and baring his teeth as if to take a chunk out of my shoulder.

"Wait a minute did you brush your teeth? "

He shook his head.

"How dare you try to eat me with those un-brushed teeth. Go brush your teeth right now young man or I'll exile ramen from this house. "

"Okay," he said grinning, and scampered away.

"And set the table when you're done, " I shouted to his retreating back.

"Okay, " he shouted back energetically.

I rolled over and faced my bed partner, his stunning blue eyes, blonde hair in disarray. His silence throughout our morning ritual was troubling, I can't force them to interact with each other, Naruto at first had accepted the idea of having a father suddenly injected into his life. Then when he realized he was being weaned from sleeping in my bed with me he became, for lack of a better description, sullen and resentful.

Minato and I both separately and together explained the why's and wherefores' of his exile from my bed but his attitude towards his father remained indifferent and distrustful.

My poor baby was under the impression that his daddy was stealing me from him so he began to reject his presence in our home by pretending he wasn't there as a silent rebellion. He is currently treating his father like the villagers treat him and Minato was hurting because of it... he is occupying my bed due to our pre-arranged agreement after all.

I was going to wait for things to work themselves out, but seeing the silent pain in those beautiful blue eyes, I decided I would talk to Naruto today about the treatment of his father.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi the revered child prodigy of the Uchiha clan and Konoha sat on the back porch of his current semi-permanent client's house gazing at her garden. It was quite elaborate even by his family's standards, the sakura trees were in full bloom yet strangely no flower petals littered the compound, the surrounding areas were littered with decorative shrubs, patches of flowers and herbs. It was calming and peaceful to him here, although his supposed job was to guard the jinchuuriki and make sure his self-appointed 'caretaker' had no ulterior motives, he was so relaxed in proximity to her that he found himself dropping his guard. It was like he could let go of all the worries and inhibitions that came with being the 'Uchiha heir' and just be himself without having to map out the thoughts, actions, and reactions of others. He didn't have to live up to the ideals and expectations of his clan here.

He was honestly expecting a tedious route of thwarting a kidnapping of the jinchuuriki every other day and sleeping with one eye open. As time went by and nothing happened he began to wonder if he was inadvertently being given a vacation from the back to back missions that his father and the council of elders seem to think he should be running as some kind of training for his future of taking up the mantle as clan head. The Third Hokage was known to rearrange the ranks like that if he noticed in time one of his shinobi was close to burning out.

Itachi had been running high level missions for nine months straight without pause, no doubt it didn't go unnoticed by the third if he was here.

His father must have been furious that he had been out of contact for so long, no doubt worried that he was dead, or not keeping up with his training. Kanzaki-san had told him he could train in the forests of the compound, it was surprisingly extensive and she had given him permission to set up a obstacle course, traps and target practice areas as needed. When he had set up the target practice and informed Kanzaki-san politely about where it was, he was waved off after she informed him that he could burn down the forest if he so desired, apparently, he had full leave to do whatever he wanted without asking for permission and informing her of every little thing he did.

He laid back on the porch with his feet dangling off the edge at the knees and wondered if Sasuke would like it here as much as he did. Here felt like home more than his home ever did, and he wondered how much longer he could get away with babysitting duty before his father caused a ruckus and petitioned the Hokage for him to return home.

He sighed,"Just a little longer," he said softly under his breath.

* * *

As Hiruzen discretely made his way towards my home I was busy making breakfast. Naruto had the stomach capacity of an Akimichi and there were two other mouths to feed besides him. While the miso soup was keeping warm on the stove-top I whipped up a bowl of eggs for tamagoyaki, and dropped a dozen sanma in the oven to grill. I then put a large frying pan on the stove and added sesame oil to cook the large eggplant that I had sliced up previously, after this was cooked I plated it and put it in the fridge.

Green beans were next I stir-fried them in sesame oil then took the pan off the stove and stirred in soy sauce, plated it and sprinkled sesame seeds on it.

Naruto came in and dutifully clambered up on the stool on the counter to begin juicing the basin of oranges I had waiting for him. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I began making the tamagoyaki, he carefully cut them all in half, then began pressing them in the juicer. His cute was face scrunched up in concentration as he took his part of making breakfast seriously.

Itachi walked in not long after Naruto began the juicing and quietly began rearranging the table settings, he then put on water for tea and quietly stood against the wall observing us.

After Naruto filled the large pitcher with freshly squeezed orange juice, he carefully carried it to the table and set it down. I had finished the tamagoyaki by then and bent to pull the tray out of the oven. I set it all out on plates and my sweet guard-weasel stepped forward and took them over to the table.

"Itachi be a sweetheart and set the rice cooker on the sideboard , will you?"

"Hai," he said in his soft soothing voice as he moved.

I looked around and realized my blue-eyed bed-mate still wasn't here, "Minato food's done, get in here already." I called in a raised voice.

A minute later footsteps were heard and he appeared in the doorway, his hair damp from the shower.

"Honestly, take this over and go sit and eat with the boys,"I said handing him the sauce for the eggplant.

"Hai-hai, thank you for the food. "

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen alighted before the gates of Kanzaki's home barely stifling his whimper of pain for his injured back.

Ren appeared at the gates to her home as if she sensed his presence, it was one of the more mysterious things that she does that he no longer questioned.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Ren-chan I came to visit with hopes that you would pity this poor old man and ease his pain," the Sandaime said congenially.

"Hiru-chan, Gods and goblins are always welcome in my home, please come in," she said smiling wide enough to produce dimples and stepping to the side to usher him in.

"Will you allow my guards in?…I fear they will react badly out of concern given my current disadvantage," he requested resignedly.

She arched an eyebrow, "Line them up let me have a look at them," she replied.

* * *

I signaled them discreetly with a nod being fully aware that they heard every word of our conversation. They lined up instantly before the compound gate appearing as if out of thin air.

"I would like each of you to take turns stepping forward, please hold out both arms to yours sides parallel to the ground and turn slowly in a circle," she said pleasantly.

They stood before her unmoving.

The operatives of ANBU was strictly under the Hokage's command, they take orders from no other.

I nodded to signal it was acceptable to fulfill her request, and one by one they complied gracefully turning in a slow circle with their arms out as requested by their soon to be host. I looked at her while she scrutinized them carefully wondering at the purpose of this request. It served no purpose as far as I could discern, civilians were not skilled in profiling shinobi of this caliber as far as I knew.

When all of them had a turn at it she closed her eyes for a few seconds then opened them and smiled brightly, "You have my permission to enter this compound."

* * *

Guys I sincerely apologize for dropping the ball on this story. I started college and was overwhelmed by homework. Honestly it's scientifically proven that homework is pointless. It was all I could do not to flounder and drown with the endless projects. I mean seriously whyyyyy?

Anyways chew on this while my muse leads me around by the nose. To any new readers I will warn you Do not look for a plot here.

Please review or drop a line it's very encouraging. (^^)/

Sincerely,

Beautiful Death


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